INTEGRATIVE REVIEW ON VALUE CO CREATION IN ECOTOURISM INDUSTRY

Abstract

This article presents an integrative review of literature on value co-creation in the eco-tourism industry between 2020 and 2025. Value co-creation is a collaborative process where tourists, local communities, enterprises, and governance structures engage to generate shared benefits across ecological, social, and economic dimensions. In eco-tourism, this process aligns with principles of sustainability, cultural preservation, and community empowerment, while shifting tourists’ roles from passive consumers to active participants in shaping experiences. Despite growing scholarly attention, existing studies remain fragmented across contexts such as heritage tourism, community-based conservation, and post-pandemic recovery, with limited synthesis of how co-creation is implemented, operationalized, and evaluated. Using Torraco’s (2016) integrative review framework, this article systematically identified, screened, and analyzed 17 peer-reviewed articles from major academic databases and snowball searches. Findings highlight five dominant themes: (1) stakeholder engagement in conservation and cultural exchange, (2) the role of digital platforms in extending collaboration, (3) governance and policy as both enablers and barriers, (4) crisis adaptation in contexts such as COVID-19, and (5) emerging tools for measurement and evaluation of co-creation outcomes. The review underscores that value co-creation enhances visitor satisfaction, environmental stewardship, and community empowerment, yet faces challenges including inclusivity gaps, governance rigidity, and tensions between economic and ecological objectives. This article concludes that value co-creation is a strategic pathway toward sustainable eco-tourism, but requires strengthened policy support, digital inclusivity, standardized measurement, community empowerment, and crisis-resilient strategies. These insights hopefully provide a foundation for advancing both research and practice in sustainable tourism development.